Perfect Victims by Bill James
The Black Dahlia case. The Manson murders. The Zodiac Killer. The slaughter of JonBenet Ramsay. These killings, among many others in Bill James's astonishing chronicle of the history of American crime, have all created a frenzy of interest and speculation about human nature. And while many of us choose to avoid the news about gruesome murders, Bill James contends that these crime stories, which create such frenzy (and have throughout history), are as important to understanding our society, culture and history as anything we may consider to be a more 'serious' subject. The topic envelopes our society so completely, we almost forget about it. James looks at the ways in which society has changed by examining the development of how crimes have been committed, investigated and prosecuted. The book takes on such issues as the rise of an organized police force, the controversial use of the death penalty, the introduction of evidence such as fingerprinting and DNA, and the unexpected ways in which the most shocking crimes have shaped the criminal justice system and our perceptions of violence.
Bill James made his journalistic mark in the 1970s and 1980s with his bestseller Baseball Abstracts. His unique insight and talent for crunching numbers in unique ways blew open a whole new way of looking at the world. He is credited for setting the stage for others who combine maths with great narrative, such as Malcolm Gladwell. He is currently the Senior Advisor on Baseball Operations for the Boston Red Sox and lives in Kansas, with his wife and three children.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780857203908 |
| ISBN 10 | 0857203908 |
| Title | Perfect Victims |
| Author | Bill James |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster Ltd |
| Year published | 2011-07-07 |
| Number of pages | 496 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |